Welcome To The Black Parade

"When I was a young boy,

My father took me into the city

To see a marching band."

"He said, "Son when you grow up,

would you be the savior of the broken,

the beaten and the damned?"

"He said "Will you defeat them,

your demons, and all the non-believers,

the plans that they have made?"

"Because one day I'll leave you,

A phantom to lead you in the summer,

To join The Black Parade."

-My Chemical Romance

The sound of blaring police cars filled the freezing air as day began to creep over the steel walls of Arkham. This was truly a night for the books. A marker in history claiming that this very night was the time in which my father so abruptly passed away. Why is this so important? Well what if I added the little detail that my father is the so called "Clown Prince of Crime"? What if I said that ever since I was a little girl he has been planning for this day to come? Well I guess I should start from the beginning…

My name (unfortunately) is Jade Jester Quinzel. Yes, I know my name is actually Jade Jester; you can thank my joke obsessed father for that one. But after being born into a family in which both your parents prance around in clown makeup beating up man-bats, you get used to it.

Dear old dad never paid much attention to me, pretty sad right? Well one day when I was about five years old and just able to comprehend words, father took me into Gotham City. He was talking all sorts of crazy that day, guess that's where I get it from. But once we arrived my body exploded with excitement. Father had brought me to the Annual Gotham Day Parade.

Of course we weren't in the actual crowd. I have a feeling the world's most wanted criminal would stick out of the festivities. But we did have a lovely view from an apartment building window just above. I can even remember pushing up on the tips of my toes to see what was to come. I was in complete awe as the drummers marched to the beat of their own drums and the dancing clowns tossed colorful confetti in the air.

My father standing right by my side began to question me "Do you like the silly clowns Jade"?

I nodded my head quickly with a huge smile on my face.

"What about the balloons?" he continued.

"Yeah Daddy!" I exclaimed.

"But what about the marching band, do you like them?" he said in his best fatherly voice.

"Yeah Dad, I think they're the best!" I answered.

He chuckled "Oh, is that right? Jade, what if I told you that you can have your very own marching band, hmm? Your very own parade, just for you".

"My own parade? But how will I get one" I asked.

Joker gave me that bone chilling grin of his as he pulled out a small box from his purple coat pocket. "All you have to do my darling is press…this…button" he hissed as he pointed down to the little red button on the box.

Something was up, that was for sure. But unfortunately I was too young and naïve to realize the danger before me. After all, he did promise an entire marching band, right?

I reached out my tiny fingers to grasp the small box. My father didn't let go until he was sure that I could hold on to it on my own. He giggled in delight as I stood near the window with the button under my thumb. Looking down I smiled at the thought of dancing around with my very own parade. I will dance and sing and throw confetti in the air!

But that's not what happened at all.

I let the weight of my thumb fall upon the little red button, smiling as I did so. My father burst out laughing like the mad man he is as the small box between my hands began to count down. 5…4…3…2…1…

Blood curling screams echoed through the streets as bomb after bomb went off. I ran from the window into my father's leg which I held onto tightly. The people ran frantically through the streets praying and crying. Joker picked up my small crying frame and danced over to the window once more.

"Look Jade, look at what you've done! Isn't it just glorious!" he bellowed into my ear.

"No! No daddy! The people, they're…they're dying!" I cried into his shoulder, not wanting to look at the mayhem below.

Several more explosions, tons of wailing sirens, and billions of desperate cries flooded my ears.

I didn't want this. I wanted a parade full of silly clowns and colorful costumes. Not this, not people, innocent people dying before my eyes. I didn't want them to cry for mercy. I didn't want them to pray for their lives.

But it was my fault.

All of it, my fault. I pressed the button, I wanted the parade. I was the one who stood there smiling as I pressed down on the round plastic button. And now it's I who am responsible for the murder of hundreds of people.

My father whispered into my ear "Their lives are a small price to pay my darling. For your future is now set. You will get your parade Jade, sooner or later; you will get a black parade…"

But that was then and this is now. And right now my father lies dead on top of a GCPD patrol car. And I stand still watching the chaos unfold before me. Thank God the Batman doesn't know about me yet, or he would be after me as well. Thought right now I believe he has some more important business to take care of. Something about Edward and him having hostages and an enigma machine?

Whatever, I have a destiny to fulfill. Grabbing the envelope that my father gave to me last week I headed down the dreary halls of the Sionis Steel Mill. Finally managing to open it I found a small key hidden inside. I recognized the key; it was to my father's private desk. Why would he give this to me? Shouldn't it have gone to my mother or maybe even a henchman? There was no time to ask questions, Harley will be back soon and I need to get in Joker's office and out with whatever my father wanted me to have.

I slipped inside the glum feeling office space. The bright green arrows still bolted to the floor. Retrieving the key from my pocket I slid it into the worn wooded desk. I could hear my mother's cries coming into the Steel Mill. Almost everything echoed through here.

Quickly I opened the small cabinet-like opening in the desk. I sighed, is this really all he wanted to give me? Papers, just a huge stack of white and blue papers, maybe a book or two hidden beneath but mostly just papers. Why, why couldn't he give me something more valuable? Like, money or a gold watch or a family heirloom?

No, he just gave me some old stack of plans that he will now never get to carry out.

Shit, Harley Quinn is getting closer; I need to get out of here! Grabbing the stack of papers I dashed out of the room and down the hall into the boiler room.

I stood in the office inside the boiler room, the quiet ramble of the bruised henchmen in the background. I actually found the papers my father gave me to be quite interesting, and confusing. There were blueprints for the Gotham Juvenile Detention Sector. Strange costumes designs, stuff The Joker would never wear. And a letter.

Dear Jade,

Ever since you were born I have been planning something, something just for you. Do you remember that day when you were…oh how old were you? I guess my memory is not what it used to be. But do you remember that day when I brought you to the Annual Gotham City Parade? When you pressed the button? When explosion after explosion went of…how you killed thousands of people? You don't? Well I do! And do you want to know the thing I remember most Jade? What I remember most about the beautiful Gotham day was my promise to you. Well Jade, today is the day. The day you get your very own parade…

Love, Your Father

My eyes weld up with tears, "No, I don't want to remember". I guess I forgot to mention a little something. After that day at the parade…I was never the same. Yup, my proudest moment was when I received my honorary degree of insanity at Arkham Asylum.

I wiped the salty water from my eyes and put down the letter.